Yesterday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman, the head of the National Security Council and the director general of the Ministry of Health announced sterner measures to prevent the coronavirus spreading in Israel. Gatherings of more than 100 people are banned. Schools, workplaces, and public transport will carry on as normal.
Director general of the Ministry of Health Moshe Bar Siman-Tov called on anyone suffering from respiratory symptoms or fever, coughing, or shortness of breath, to go into isolation. "It doesn't mean that you have the coronavirus, but we are taking preventative steps against the spreading of the disease. People who are ill should be at home," he said.
"The disease has been declared a pandemic affecting all countries," Netanyahu said. "The health challenge is real. It's also an economic and international challenge. I spoke today with Dr. Deborah Birx, who is responsible for combating the virus in the US. She praised the steps we had taken.
"I have also spoken to the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, since we are dependent on supply lines. The Israeli economy is in good shape, better, very good."
"The second subject this evening is public health. I am in constant consultation with my friend Litzman and National Security Council Director Meir Ben-Shabbat. I think that it needs to be understood that this crisis is substantially different from other crises. I am doing everything to deal with the external threat in order to change the internal routine of life as little as possible. After dealing with the external envelope, and reducing the threat considerably, we must change our daily habits in order to meet the internal threat. We really will have to make changes. We all like to hug, kiss, and shake hands. From now, there must be none of that. It’s not easy, and it obliges all of us to make changes. We must wash our hands all the time, and maintain personal hygiene. Put a handkerchief to your face or use a tissue, to prevent coughing and spreading saliva droplets. In addition, we are asking that gatherings of people should be restricted. We are restricting gatherings in closed spaces to 100 people. If conferences and events are not necessary, don't hold them and don't attend.
"We are in a global pandemic. Other countries that have not introduced such measures are sliding down a very steep slope. We are safeguarding the country but we must change our behavior in order to get through the crisis together."
Litzman repeated the prime minister's urgings concerning hygiene, and added, "The State of Israel's senior citizens are among the oldest in the world from the point of view of the average age. We must protect them. We pray that God will help, and that no-one will die of the coronavirus here."
Siman-Tov called on employers to allow more employees to work from home. "Despite what they say," he added, "Israelis are conforming to our guidelines. The vast majority listens to instructions, and thanks to that we are where we are in contrast to other countries. The restriction on gatherings of people is hard for the public to take, and we will make adjustments in order to enable life to continue as normal. For the time being, schools will stay open, public transport and workplaces will continue operating. We will consult the Council for Higher Education and decide about the opening of the academic year.
The teachers' union is threatening to take immediate steps unless all educational institutions are sterilized.
The Israel Hotels Association said in response to Netanyahu's statement: "This is another severe blow to the battered hotel industry. Hoteliers are naturally optimistic people, but they now understand that the government has declared war on them, and after wiping out tourism from overseas they are now landing a severe blow on internal tourism as well. The government is hurting us, and it must pay, and quickly. The Israeli government must also think about the day after the coronavirus. Today is again severely harming our engines of growth."
The number of reported coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 97.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 12, 2020
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